What is wrong with my M6?

[jtivat]

About six weeks ago the MN20 in my M6 went yellow and the bulb frosted over with less than two hours on it. I sent it to SF thinking it was just a fluke sense then I have been using the MN21 with no problems. Well lest week I received a new MN20 from SF, pooped it in and tested it for about one minute it worked great. Well tonight I fired up the M6 and it was immediately yellow so I pulled you the lamp and sure enough it was also frosted, less the two minutes on it! This is getting very aggravating I love the light but if I can't use it then it's worthless!

 

[Sean]

My M6 did the same thing. It seems the seal on the "glass" envelope is "leaking". I would/should help if they would test them before they ship them.

 

[lemlux]

jivat:

Please further describe "frosted." If you mean covered with a hazy black film, you may have a partial on situation when you think the lamp is off that results in covering the glass envelope with redeposited tungsten.

I've never seen this with any of my SF LA's. I do have a number of blackened KPR and XPR lamps.

 

[jtivat]

It is frosted like the tips of some of there lamps. There is also some yellowing and other discoloration in the middle where the filament is.

 

[Sean]

Is this what yours looks like:

 

[Nerd]

Happened to my Energizer 6AA bulb too when I accidentally broke a bit of glass off it and air started seeping in.. the white milky coating seems to be tungsten oxide? Is it white in colour (The tungsten oxide I mean)?

 

[GeoffChan]

that happened to my MN10 as well.

Geoff

 

[lemlux]

Interesting and plausible air leak / oxidation theory. I've never seen bulbs like the pictures. I wonder where the weak point in the glass envelopes is.

I took apart a dead N2 by cutting away the potting below the aluminum flanged shaft flange. I didn't take the bulb out of the ceramic cylinder that slipped right out of the aluminum tube. I wonder what potting stresses occur when the bulb is ceramiclly potted to the ceramic cylinder / springs subassembly.

 

[kalengkong]

Jtivat, when did you buy the M6?
and where?

maybe older version that 'old' enough?

 

[jtivat]

Originally posted by kalengkong:
Jtivat, when did you buy the M6?
and where?

maybe older version that 'old' enough?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">It was bought this past summer from AGR so it's not very old.

 

[kalengkong]

Arzona gun runner do you mean?
hey,,, the same with me, i bought my 9AN from him.
nice dealer.

 

[jtivat]

Yup thats it!